GAME NOTES: The Houston Cougars travel to Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium this weekend
for a Conference USA matchup against the East Carolina Pirates.

An 0-3 start had Houston looking like a team that would struggle to put
together wins this season. Since that inauspicious start, the Cougars have
righted the ship with wins in four of their last five games, including a 45-35
victory over UTEP this past weekend. Three of those wins have come in
conference play which has helped Houston keep itself in the C-USA title chase
with a one game lead in the C-USA West Division.

East Carolina is at the top of the East Division with a 4-1 mark against
conference foes. That success in league play didn't mean much as the Pirates
were rolled over by Navy 56-28 last weekend. There are only three more games
on the schedule for ECU which is still short of the win total needed to earn a
bowl bid.

ECU will certainly be out for some revenge in this matchup after Houston
posted a 56-3 rout against the Pirates last season. Even with that loss, ECU
holds the all-time series lead 6-5.

High-powered offensive production has been the theme for the Cougars over the
last few seasons, especially through the air. Houston is the ranked seventh in
the nation in passing (340.1 pg) and is one of just 20 teams to be putting up
300 or more yards passing per game. Those types of numbers have helped Houston
become the second most productive offense in the conference at 512.3 yards per
game. Houston also scores at a high rate, averaging 34.1 points per game.

A solid quarterback is needed for the Cougars to run their high-octane offense
and this season David Piland has been able to serve in that capacity. Taking
over for the record-setting Case Keenum, Piland has thrown for 2,438 yards and
12 touchdowns, while completing passes at a 59.9 percent clip. Piland
has been a bit turnover prone though, with nine interceptions.

The passing game took a huge hit when wide receiver Dewayne Peace was
suspended indefinitely for disciplinary reasons earlier this week. Peace had
caught a team-high 42 passes for 458 yards. That will mean Daniel Spencer, who
has a team-high 543 yards.

Even though the squad passes a ton there has still been a bunch of production
in the run game. Charles Sims has rushed for the second most touchdowns in the
conference with 11, while racking up a conference high 115.9 yards per game.
Sims s has 816 yards rushing overall and is averaging a hefty 6.1 yards per
attempt.

For all its offensive numbers, Houston has not been able to slow down opposing
teams. Part of that can be attributed to the torrid pace at which the Cougars
play, giving teams extra opportunities. Houston averages a league low in time
of possession with just over 25 minutes per game. Still there is certainly
room for improvement. Houston is allowing 450.9 yards per game and 35.3
points.

With opponents constantly on the field the Cougars have accumulated some
impressive numbers in comparison to the rest of the conference. Houston is
second in the league in both sacks (26) and tackles for loss (60). Phillip
Steward is tied for the second most tackles in the conference with 84, while
Derrick Mathews (75) and Trevon Stewart (73) also rank in the top 10 in
total tackles. Steward is also the conference leader in sacks (8.0) and
tackles for loss (14.0).

East Carolina doesn't' play at a rapid offensive pace. The Pirates are picking
up 377.6 yards per game in total offense, while scoring 26.0 points per
contest. However like Houston, the Pirates are a more pass-reliant team,
ranked fifth in the conference in passing offense (257.1 ypg).

Shane Carden is at the helm, throwing for 1,879 yards and 12 touchdowns this
season. He is coming off of a rough outing against Navy where he failed to
reach 200 yards passing for the first time in five games. In fact, Carden had
thrown for more than 300 yards in consecutive weeks before his 194-yard effort
against Navy.

Another prolific offensive streak came to an end for an ECU player against
Navy, as Justin Hardy had a streak of three straight games with 100 yards
receiving come to an end. A streak that did not end for Hardy was his
consecutive games with a touchdown which is now at five. Hardy leads the
conference in receiving yards (780), as well as in receiving touchdowns
(nine).

Vintavious Cooper provides ECU with a ton of offensive punch out of the
backfield. He has piled up 751 yards on the season and has really stepped up
his production in recent weeks. Cooper rushed for 121 yards and a touchdown in
the loss to Navy, which came after a 172-yard, two-touchdown effort the
previous week against UAB.

In comparison to Houston, ECU has been a much stronger defensive team. The
Pirates are ranked fourth in the conference in both scoring defense (28.7 ppg)
and total defense (411.6 ypg), but those numbers are certainly not dominating.
East Carolina has clamped down in crucial situations this season, ranking
fourth in the conference in opponents' red zone success rate (73.3 percent)
and third in third down conversion rate (38.0 percent).

Jeremy Grove and Damon Magazu have each reached the 60-tackle plateau with
Groce at 61 and Magazu at an even 60. Derrell Johnson has been solid on the
edge, collecting 5.5 tackles for loss. Chip Thompson and Adonis Armstrong have
been ball-hawks with four interceptions and 16 passes defended combined.

Houston is a team built to score and score quickly and East Carolina may not
have the defense to be able to slow down the Cougars. If the Pirates are to
pull this one out Carden will have to win a shootout with Piland, which seems
like a rather tall task.